On the Edge - Erik - P. A. Nolte

1/ A red-bearded man is in line at an airport ticket counter.  Archaic, to be sure, but Erik is not a man of pomp and technology.  The airline is Nordic.

Erik (Cap): People are superstitious.

Erik (Cap): They try to delay the inevitable.

2/ On the bow of a ferry from Tau, Erik reads a large map.  What can be seen is of Preikestolen, Stavanger, and the surrounding areas.

Erik (Cap): I know.

Erik (Cap): I tried too.

3/ Erik stands at the edge of Preikestolen.  His pack and his gear are shed on the rocks around him.

Erik (Cap): But now.

Erik (Cap): Here.

4/ Erik's face.  His beard is grey with scant strands of red.  His eyes are as fierce and green as they have ever been.  It's everything else that has sagged and pocked with time.

Erik: Why don't I feel anything?

On the Edge--David Press

PAGE ONE.

1.1:  I was thinking about opening on a horizontal panel featuring two HIKERS making their way through a densely packed forest. In the distance we can see a clearing and blue sky. The Hikers’ backs are turned to us and they’re dressed as you would expect: rain jackets, break away pants, serious boots, and backpacks that double as water containers. Give one of them a walking staff if you like.

CAPTION:             Preikestolen, Norway.

1.2: A small panel next to the previous featuring the HIKERS: they’re smiling in relief after the long hike. They’re looking up and off panel right, blue all around them. Both are in a state of relief and natural glee. One’s bearded and wearing horn-rimmed glasses with a balding head. How about we call him ANDERS. The second Hiker is a woman, shorter, with curly brown hair and a dimpled smile--EMELIA.

ANDERS:              Fifty-nine.

EMELIA:              Hard to believe.

1.3: Emelia hands Anders her cell-phone.

EMELIA:              Take a picture of me on the edge.

1.4: From Emelia’s perspective, we can see Anders along the cliff face, a sharp drop off below.

NO DIALOGUE.

1.5 [WIDE]: Anders is now on the other side of the cliff face and Emelia is up to the very edge of Pulpit Rock looking to the great beyond. We can see Emelia’s iPhone is up and Instagram is loaded on the screen—the  screen shows the photo from the prompt.

NO DIALOGUE.

On The Edge - The Last Challenge - Perry Kent

Panel 1

Hansen and Olson walk up to the edge of a cliff. It's very clear that the edge of the cliff leads to steep and far fall. Hansen is leading the pair.

1. Hansen: This is the seventh and last challenge.

2. Hansen: “The step taken by those who do not fear death.”

Panel 2

Olsen peers over the side of the cliff very cautiously as Hansen stands away from the edge steeling himself. Olsen looks very doubtful as he speaks.

3. Olsen: Yeah, right. You'll end up in the afterlife whether you pass the challenge or not.

4. Olsen: You sure you'll be able to make it back? You know, once you found her.

Panel 3

Inset to Panel 4. Hansen grits his teeth in determination.

5. Hansen: Don't know. But...

Panel 4

Hansen dives off the cliff edge. Olsen stands back, shocked by what his friend has done.

6. Hansen: ...I'll bring her back from the dead or die trying!

Panel 5

Olsen covers his eyes from a brilliant green flash that comes from the edge of the cliff.

Panel 6

Olsen looks over the edge of the cliff. There is no sign of Hansen anywhere.

7. Olsen: Look's like you made it, buddy. I hope you can bring her back.

-END-

On The Edge – Cliff Notes Philosophy – MK Stangeland Jr.

(4 Panels)

Panel 1: Parallel panel to ON THE EDGE photograph, but narrower to better fit along the top of the page.

TEXT: Cliffs.

Panel 2: The man from PANEL 1 has leapt off the cliff and has just started his plummet down.

TEXT: There are two kinds of people who deliberately jump off cliffs.

Panel 3: The man from PANEL 1 is in an uncontrolled freefall – it’s fairly clear that he’s falling to his death.

TEXT: Those who seek to end their lives…

Panel 4: An alternate version of PANEL 3, showing the same man and the same fall, but with a different outcome – here, instead of leaping to his death, the man has deployed a wingsuit and is now soaring across the sky.

TEXT: And those who seek to inject their lives with excitement and adventure.

(END PAGE)

On the Edge - Wish You Were Here - Jonathan Morel

(Eight panels, total. The first 4 panels are in very bright colours)

Panel 1
The first panel is the largest, takes about a quarter or a fifth of the page, at the top. Wide, colorful shot of a man standing at the edge of a mountain, arms on his side, (see Grant’s picture). In the bottom right corner is the text box. It should be yellowish.

1 - CAPTION: I can feel the air inside my lungs…breathing that fresh air...

Panel 2
Closer view of the same picture, slightly angled to the right, the man is a little bit more detailed. His arms at his side are raised about halfway up, as if he is about to jump. The sun should be facing opposite from him on the panel, on the left.

2 - CAPTION: The breeze cooling me down after that grueling hike, my body aching…

Panel 3
The man’s entire face, eyes closed, in a close-up, facing the sky. He looks young (35 and under), flowing long hair. The shadow of his arms, now fully up in the air, should be visible. He is smiling, taking in the heat of the sun and breathing in the fresh air.

3 - CAPTION: That warm sun, toasting me, enveloping me like a warm blanket…

Panel 4
The shot is even closer to his face, taking the whole frame. Same look and smile. There is a tear running down his right cheek, with some buildup under his right eye. The tear should be in the middle of the frame.

4 - CAPTION: This is my favorite place. I always come here when feeling weak. I can hear the birds chirping…

Panel 5
Exact same shot as the previous panel, except in either black and white or drab colours. Both should be side by side. The man’s face, in this case, should be thinner. No hair should be visible in this frame, compared to the last one. The tear should still be in the center of the frame. If in colour, he should be much paler than the previous panels. The textbox should be grey or white.

5 - CAPTION: I can hear the birds…tweeting…beeping…

Panel 6
The view point moves back, the man is lying in what appears to be a bed. His upper torso is nude, a blanket covering him past his chest. His arms are not under the blankets, but can only be partially seen. The man’s face is visible. He looks thin, gaunt, the smile gone. He is bald, his eyes are still closed, the same tear visible. His age should be difficult to pinpoint, but no more than mid-50s. Either in black in white or very drab coloring.

6 - CAPTION: Beeping…

Panel 7
This panel should be next to the previous panel, and use most the bottom right corner. The view point has panned back even more. He is lying in a hospital bed, looking directly at the reader, his arms hooked up to IVs and machines. The information on the monitors should be the only things in brighter colours. He is alone, his eyes wide open, the long tear now running down his cheek. He looks scared, pained and saddened. In the top right, the door to the hospital room should be slight opened. A woman, in her 40s-50s is seen, a hand to her face as the arms of an unseen person, hidden by the door, are holding her shoulders.

7 - CAPTION: I’m cold. The sheets…like nails on my skin. My body aches…hard to breathe…

Panel 8
Bottom right, superimposed on the previous panel. A small square panel, close up to the face. Still the sickened face, this time with brighter colours, like the first 4 panels. His eyes are closed, and he is smiling again, the tear only slightly visible. The textbox should be under his smile, in yellow.

8 - CAPTION: I can feel the air inside my lungs…breathing that fresh air…

On the Edge - Retreat - Grant McLaughlin

1 - Our opening panel is a big focus of the page, and it is near recreation of On the Edge.  We have a small figure standing on the edge of a tall cliff, overlooking a winding river and smaller cliffs / mountains surrounding it.  The figure holds their arms up at their sides, whether to get ready to leap or take in the world is not clear.  Let's possibly have the figure's car visible on the edge of the panel (but by no means a focus of the panel).

CAPTION (FIGURE): Coming out here used to help me escape from the world.

2 - Close on the cliff edge.  The figure's feet are a step or two back from the edge, but they might be in the midst of taking those steps.

CAPTION (FIGURE): From the things I've done.

3 - Close on the cliff edge.  The figure's feet are now right on the edge - maybe a little beyond, toes hanging over and the like.

CAPTION (FIGURE): From myself.

4 - Close on the cliff edge. The figure's feet are no longer on panel, gone.

NO COPY

5 - Switch angle to look onto the clifftop.  The figure sits on the ground near their car, their arms wrapped around their knees.  They cry openly.

CAPTION (FIGURE): But there are some things you can't get away from.

Why On the Edge?

At some point in the past twelve months or so, I stumbled across a HuffPo article listing off some of the best photos taken with a mobile phone of the year.  I scrolled through the whole thing, ooo-ing and ahh-ing when appropriate.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, all of the photos had something to recommend them, but there were a handful that reached out and forced their way into my mind, continuing to bounce around for weeks, if not months.

"On the Edge" by Atle Ronningen was one of those mind forcers.  Looking at it, I think you'll understand why.

Ronningen has a small write-up giving the details of the moment, its location, and how it was achieved, and that is all well and good (and worth a read), but it's also somewhat immaterial.  What matters to me is the deceptively simple beauty the photo captures.  The composition and scale of it inspires a sense of awe in me.

I want to step into this snapshot, walk to the edge of that cliff, and take in the vast landscape that that figure is looking down upon.  I can't help but yearn to spend more time there, to contemplate everything there is to consider, and over time, this feeling has only grown.

Therefore, I figured I would do so right here, while also benefiting from the perspectives and takes of my fellow writers.  Should you be reading this at home and feel something stirring within yourself, I'd be thrilled to see your take as well.  Don't hesitate to add your script into the comments below - we'd love to have you and would be happy to provide some thoughts and feedback.